Over 12,000 students aspiring for JEE Advanced have approached the Ministry of Education, the IIT Council and the Joint Admission Board (JAB), seeking a re-evaluation of the present eligibility criteria, and seeking a third attempt. Students argue that the CBSE attendance requirement, combined with the restriction of two JEE Advanced attempts, makes it challenging for regular school students to balance classroom commitments with exam preparation. They are therefore demanding either a third consecutive attempt or the option to appear twice over three consecutive years.
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Key details
The online petition titled ‘Reinstate the Third Attempt for JEE Advanced’ has reportedly received around 13,000 signatures, up from approximately 12,700 earlier.
Under the current eligibility criteria, students are generally allowed to appear for JEE Advanced twice in two consecutive years. This means their first attempt usually falls in the year they appear for their Class 12 board examinations, followed by their second and final attempt the next year. Students who have exhausted both attempts are not eligible to appear again.
Students argue that this system puts regular school students at a disadvantage. During Class 12, they must balance several academic commitments, including regular classes, practical examinations, board examinations and the CBSE attendance requirement. These responsibilities leave them with limited time to focus exclusively on JEE Advanced preparation. As a result, they effectively get only one full year after completing school to revise and prepare for their second and final attempt.
Core Concerns & Conflicts
Due to the strict attendance requirements (75%) enforced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and cracking down on 'dummy schools’, regular students struggle to fully dedicate themselves to preparing for the IIT-JEE.
Discussions vs. Status
Whilst there is discussion regarding students being able to sit a third attempt, this is not a general rule. The director of IIT Kanpur, Manindra Agrawal, said "it may be considered in some exceptional cases". However, it is still uncertain how this would work and what the eligibility criteria would be.
He also stated that giving students an extra attempt may just prolong their revision and coaching period rather than help them. There are no immediate changes to the exam.
Important Links
| JEE Main 2027 Session 1: NTA Allows Fresh Application Forms | JEE Main 2027 Session 1: Check Registration Guidelines |
Conclusion
For now students should prepare for the exam under the current rules, that students can sit two attempts over two consecutive years. If any changes are made for JEE Advanced 2027 this will be an official change made by the relevant authorities. Students should only refer to the official JEE Advanced notification.
